Arms and Swords
by Lady Bee
Summary: He had been known for his general lack of knowledge but Jon had struggled to believe that he was indeed that ignorant about life. Maybe he wasn't an ignorant properly saying, but simply a man that avoided seeing the obvious even though it was there, right under his nose.


He had been known for his general lack of knowledge but Jon had struggled to believe that he was indeed that ignorant about life. Maybe he wasn't an ignorant properly saying, but simply a man that avoided seeing the obvious even though it was there, right under his nose.

Since their reunion under drastic circumstances during the Other's War and the instable position where both of them stand thanks to Robb's testament, Jon had been holding to his vague memories and the idea of a young girl that he used to know so well. He tried, all to no avail, to infantilize her, to keep her safe and out of the game of politics as much as he could, only to get frustrated over and over again with one simple fact. She wasn't a child and as much as he tried to turn a blind eye to such a fact, Jon was painfully aware that Arya hardly needed him to be her savior.

There was this moment, thought. The day he was forced to understand that his efforts to hold to his concept of a forever young and innocent Arya Stark was doomed. Looking back at it, he should have knocked at her door first. It was the right thing to do when asking for a private audience with the queen, or anyone else for that matter, even when he was Warden of The North and almost equal to her in rank.

He entered her chambers early in the morning to discuss about the supplies they would need once the Dragon Queen arrived, just like he would do every once in a while without give a second thought to the idea that maybe Arya was entitled to some privacy. As soon as he saw her, Jon promptly regretted his mindlessness.

He could still remember it with a pang of shame and embarrassment. Arya was there, half sleep and taking of her night gown stained in fresh blood while asking for new clothes and undergarments to a servant. He froze in his place for a long minute at the sight of her body fully exposed and the blood in her clothes and bed.

Arya turned her head to face him and instead of shouting at him, or even command him to get out of her sight at once, she simply looked back at Jon with a hint of curiosity and annoyance in her eyes. Jon lowered his face, trying to conceal his embarrassment. He paid her a hushed reverence and got out of her chambers without saying another word.

He spent the rest of the day locked up in his private office, trying to manage the never ending subjects that needed his attention and conciliating with the fact that Arya was not a child anymore and he had been stupid enough to not seeing it for far too long. There was a pile of letters that he had being ignoring for months. All of them marriage propositions to the Queen in The North and most from Stark's banners men. He sighted. What was he supposed to do now?

The matter of a possible marriage to Arya had been mentioned by the Northern Council with insistence and so far Jon had managed to avoid it by claiming that his cousin and queen was a child still and nothing would be decided about such cause until she reached the proper age. Truth be told, he had hoped that she would remain like this long enough for him to come up with a solution that he was ready to accept. Now his time was over and there was only so much he could pretend to not see the obvious changes in a girl growing into womanhood. Truth be told, Robb did Jon no favor by naming him Warden of The North.

Jon went through every letter and proposal with meticulous mind to judge the suitors. All of them were young men, from important houses. None of them properly seasoned in battle and most of them likely to act as puppets and usurp Arya's rightful position. Some were rich, but not enough to ever hope to be the consort to a queen, or bring her any particular advantage, according to Jon's perceptions. There were the ugly ones, the pretty ones, the well mannered and the simple minded ones. Those from the mountain clans, and even a few from South. None of them worthy of a second thought or even the queen's time.

Eventually he would have to face her personally and bring the matter to the top of the list. If he knew anything at all about Arya, she wouldn't be pleased with it and neither would he.

Jon closed his eyes for a moment and considered how stupid the idea of having their chambers connected had proven to be. In his mind it sounded like a practical way to secure the queen's safety, but what really happened was that both of them liked to pretend that nothing have changed since their childhood. There was no privacy between them, therefore what happened earlier that day had been an announced fatality. Jon himself had lost the count of how many times Arya have run into him while he was not exactly decent, but what he have witnessed was far worst then seeing a man shirtless.

He only came out of the office to have dinner. The Great Hall was full with the Stark household and a few subjects that had attended an earlier audience to present their petitions to the Queen. Jon entered the hall trying to keep a stern face when looking up to the great table and facing Arya sat in the highest place, dressed in a fine grey dress, with fur and wolves motives embroidered on the sleeves and neckline.

She looked at him and rose her glass. There was a tone of mockery in the way her lips curved in a half smile, making Jon wonder for a second how he took so long to noticed that there was very little of childish attitude in her. Arya looked at all of her subjects unafraid and conducted the talk with her usual charismatic way, although there was a malice in her voice and gaze that could never be mistaken as childish or ignorant. The Arya Stark he knew and loved in his youth had grown up to become a young woman that was, to his surprise and shock, fascinating.

He took his place at her side, avoiding any kind of eye contact or talking by directing his attentions to Rickon instead. She laughed eventually, while having another glass of wine with the venison brought by one of the petitioners. Jon was sure that there was no joke being told, only his awkward behavior to entertain his mistress and queen.

When the food was over and the wine consumed, she rose from her sit without asking him to escort her back to her chambers, as she usually did every night. That threw him out of balance for a second, while Arya walked out of the hall with unusual regal grace.

Jon rose from his own sit just to follow her and offer Arya his arm as not only a sign of courtesy but also to remind everyone in the room that she had his unquestionable support as Warden of The North.

He followed her silently through the empty corridors until they reached their twin chambers. He bid her goodnight but before he could enter his own chamber Arya touched his arm in an effort of calling his attention. The turned back to her immediately.

"Would you like to share some wine with me?" She asked, but wine wasn't really what she wanted.

"I would certainly like it." He said because there was no other option. If he denied her, Arya would easily enter his room demanding an explanation for his awkward behavior during the day or at least apologies for the earlier embarrassment.

He entered her chamber quietly, while observing her every moment with curious attention as Arya took of her crown, shoes and unlaced only the tightest knots in her gown. The image of her naked came back to his mind to his utter shame and discomfort. Her slender and delicate silhouette, her breasts still small with pink pointy nipples and her beautiful legs tainted with a bit of blood. The thought of it made him nervous in her presence and strangely excited as if it had been the first time he ever saw a naked woman.

She poured him wine and offered him the goblet as if waiting for him to say anything at all.

"I'm sorry." He finally broke the silence. "I shouldn't have entered here unannounced like I did."

"Don't be stupid. I've seen you half naked about a dozen times and never made a fuss out of it." She said before having a gulp from her own chalice. "Apologies accepted, but make sure that you won't act as if you are a cat that just ate the canary."

"I'll try to remember that." He said before drinking the all of the wine in a single gulp. "There's one thing I need to ask."

"Then ask me." She said in an annoyed tone, making Jon even more nervous.

"Since when you are…" He considered his words for a second so she wouldn't feel offended. "A woman flowered?"

"I was still in Braavos when my blood came for the first time. It has been almost three years ago, I guess." She answered as a matter of fact. "Do you need to know how often I bleed or we are done with the topic?"

"How come that I was never informed of such a thing?" He asked out of shock.

"Of course we are not done with it." She answered rolling her eyes in a way that would have made Lady Catelyn give her a good lecture. "Because it's none of your business or anybody else's for that matter."

"Except for the fact that every day a member of the Council insists on the need of a consort to the queen and the only thing I could say in order to avoid the matter was that you were still a child." Jon answered exasperated. "This is not something we will be able to avoid forever and you know that."

"Jon, you chose to think of me as a child, but that does not mean that I would remain one forever. You could have inquired one of my maids, but I doubt that they would dare to betray me in such a way." Arya answered practically. "Besides, I won't marry one of my subjects just because the Council thinks it is the proper thing to do."

"What about succession? Having only Rickon is a risky thing and a reckless attitude." He insisted, although it made him uncomfortable and anxious for reasons he did not understand.

"I don't really need a spouse to have children, only a man. I'm sure that you know this already." She answered as a matter of fact and I the idea of Arya married was something that he would have to get used to, while the idea of her with a lover and a bastard child was simply…intolerable.

"You wouldn't risk the support of the lords and your position in such a way. You may try, but I won't allow it!"

"Fancy yourself King in the North already?" She teased. "Warden of the North you might be, but I am still the one wearing a crown, you better remember that. Choosing someone to share my bed with will always be a tricky business. Fear not, Jon. I've already have someone in mind."

"Who is he?" Jon asked in a voice so dark that he almost didn't recognized it.

She said nothing in answer, simply put her glass aside and gave him a half smile. Her hair was loose, falling over her back like a dark cascade. He wondered for a second about how he hasn't noticed that her lips were red like fresh strawberries, or how thick were her eye lashes. Not a southern beauty, so common among the high born ladies, but Arya was far from being hard to look at. In fact, he could look at her for a lifetime and never get tired of it.

The queen walked his way calmly, with the light steps of a cat and the serenity of still water. _Water Dancer_. He couldn't help the though and surely he couldn't help noticing how she made him wait for her touch. Her hand felt on his chest and Arya traced the white wolf and the red dragon embroidered in his clothes with the tip of her finger.

"Bastards get the swords, but not the arms. Women get the arms, but not the swords." She said it in a whisper while touching his face with her calloused hand. Her hand finally reached his nape and pulled him closer to her own face. So close that he could smell the cinnamon, the cloves and the wine in her breath when their lips were almost touching. "We did not make the rules, sweet cousin."

He never tried to stop her of kissing him. Arya simply did it with her usual bluntness and stubborn determination. It was just a brush of lips, a tease and a provocation. She gave him a taste of what she wanted, but it was him the one to take it and kiss her like a woman should be kissed, by claiming her mouth with a hunger that he hadn't been aware that existed.

It was probably the Targaryen hot blood speaking and making him forget about his place and his purpose. Jon pulled her away and imposed a respectful distance between them as soon as he realized what he was doing.

"I better go." He said breathless while trying to ignore the sight of her lightly swollen lips and the panic provoked by the urge he felt for more. "Goodnight, Your Grace."

Without any further information, Jon ran away from her room.

During the following days he tried to avoid Arya at all cost, by attending endless meetings with the lords and checking on the fortifications of the castle. When there was nothing else to be done, Jon would occupy his mind with violent sports.

After three days avoiding her, Jon concluded that maybe a hunt through the woods would help him to deal with his restlessness and anger. He didn't know exactly why he was so frustrated, nor did he want to understand that feeling. He just wanted to kill something.

It didn't took him long to spot her just a few yard ahead him, wearing male clothes and riding her chestnut mare. Arya was riding alone, against every one of his orders regarding her security, taking only her sword and a bow, with Nymeria following her closely.

Jon went to her as fast as his stallion allowed. What was she thinking by coming to the woods without a single guard to escort her?

"Where is your guard?" He questioned immediately. "You are not supposed to get out of the castle on your own."

"Mind your tongue. You are not my king to command me in such a way. I decided to go for a ride on my own and that is what I'm doing." She answered him harshly, making Jon even more frustrated.

"I'm not your king, but I am the one responsible for your security and wellbeing. How am I supposed to keep you safe when you care so little about it? You have a guard for a reason." Jon nearly growled at her. "I'll take you back to Winterfell myself."

"I'm not going." She insisted. "You may go back if you want to, but I'll stay a little longer."

"Since you are staying then I shall stay too."

They remained looking at each other with obvious discontentment for a while. Jon tried, without success, to understand why they were arguing at all since they usually got along easily. Why things got so…Complicated?

"I just wanted to stay alone for a while, but since it is clearly impossible there's no reason for me to stay here." Arya finally said, but that was far for being a victory.

They walked a long distance in silence until reaching the woods borders.

"Have you considered what I said?" She finally broke the silence and almost made him fall from his horse.

"You can't possibly be serious about it." Jon answered nervously, although the memory of that kiss and her naked body had proven to be hard to forget. "We grew up as brother and sister. This will be a scandal."

"It's not as if people weren't talking already. There's only a door separating my room from yours. You are the Warden of the North already and there are those who think that you are just waiting the right moment to usurp me. If we got married it would hardly be a surprise to anyone, let alone our banners. Besides, you are a Targaryen. You might not have the name yet, but we both have to agree that if Daenerys is truly barren as the rumors say, with Aegon dead, you are her only option for an heir. I can give you the right name and the right connections if you ever decide to claim your inheritance."

"I doubt that you've came up with such an idea on your own. Here I thought that I was your councilor." He said grumpily, making her laugh.

"I am Queen on my own right. How foolish I would be if there was only one person advising me." She said laughing lightly. "You are my most trusted advisor, but hardly the only one. I was aware that you honor would be an obstacle for you to consider drastic options from time to time. I also need councilors that are willing to take risks if I am to rule. It was my idea, but I have supporters to it if the matter ever reaches the Council to be voted."

"Whose support?" He insisted out of shock.

"The maester, Mormont, Umber, my uncle and Karstark. I am considering giving Rickon to one of Lord Menderly's granddaughters. I doubt he would oppose after that."

"Why even bother to ask me then? You already have everything settled." He said in a clearly annoyed tone.

"I'm not really looking for an argument between us and I would not take the risk of being refused by you in front of the whole Council." She answered with uncomfortably. "For me it sounds like a very practical solution, and even Robb might have written it in his will if he knew about your true parentage. If I take anyone else, your position would become too risky and I'm not willing to divide power with one of my banners. I would rather keep it as it is and just add a formality or two to the arrangement that we already have."

"A formality?!" His voice betrayed him by letting his shock evident. "You do understand that it is not a simple ritual that we are talking about, don't you? It is a marriage and there are very… Specific obligations that must be fulfilled at some point." Jon said exasperate but Arya simply looked at him as if he had said the most stupid thing.

"If roles were inverted and you were the one wearing a crown when the arrangement was settled nobody would care about asking my opinion. Several women were dragged to septs and godswoods to say their vows in order to fulfill very similar purposes, just like Jeyne was. These obligations that you say are often imposed to girls that don't have the structure or the desire of fulfilling them, so don't talk to me about it since you were already looking for candidates to occupy the empty space in my bed without even having the decency of communicate me first. You could just say that you don't find me attractive enough and I wouldn't question it. Just don't act as if I'm still a child, because we both know that this is not true." Her voice left no room for contradiction of defiance. That wasn't Arya talking. That was the young woman that he helped to crown as Queen in the North. "If you find the idea of sharing my bed so repulsive, I'll have to think about someone else, but I wish that you would at least think about it."

They remained in silence until they reached the castle and left the horses to be taken care of. Arya didn't even bother to look at him again, choosing to walk her way back to her chambers to change her clothes alone.

He watched as she walked away and wondered for a second about how the world had turned upside down. Jon had always knew that no man was allowed to ask for the Queen's hand and that would be Arya the one to propose to her suitor formally after all the terms being settled, but until that day Jon couldn't imagine Arya accepting any one, let alone propose him from all people, but seeing her walk away made him feel uneasy.

During the dinner he actually took the time to think about what she said. Jon observed the queen and how she talked with the household members and tried to make Rickon sit still for more than five minutes. For a moment Jon felt stupid for having ignored the obvious for too long. Arya was not a child anymore, and probably haven't been so for quite a while despite of what he chose to believe. To make it worst, he didn't find the idea of having her unpleasant at all.

In fact, he had never thought her to be plain or ugly, as some would say. She matched his preferences just perfectly. She was his ideal woman, but until those awkward events imagine her in a more intimate scenario was something beyond shocking. But what was said and seen could not be forgotten and the idea of her naked under his body became too powerful and constant for him to deal with.

She took her leave earlier than usual, saying that she got a headache and needed some sleep. Jon didn't bother to follow her this one time, mostly because both of them needed time and space to think about what would be of them.

He drank more than he should have and went back to his own room wishing only for the comfort of his bed and a good night of sleep. Jon took off his shirt, belt and boots before lying on his bed. He faced the door that separated his room from hers and stared at it for a while.

He could simply walk across that door and say to her that he would accept her offer. He could simply go there and kiss her as he did just a few days ago. She could be his queen and that had nothing to do with the crown on her head, or what Robb's testament determinate.

Jon closed his eyes and though for a thousandth time about her body and her lips pressed against his own. It felt very much like the time when Stannis offered him the Stark name, along with Winterfell and a wife. The only thing he had to do back then was to bend the knee and take Val south to be the next lady of Winterfell, but he refused. Stannis was never his king and Val was not the right choice for the title of Lady Stark, no matter how much the idea of having a family and occupying Ned's place sounded appealing.

Years have passed since and there he was, with an offer very similar to that one in his hands again. Only that this time he wouldn't be Lord Stark of Winterfell, he would be consort King in the North. It wouldn't be Val the woman by his side, but a woman no less wild and no less dangerous, one that he simply adored. He had already pledge his life and loyalty to Arya before the Old Gods when he was named Warden of the North. Would it be that difficult to take her as his wife when they already ruled the North together? Would it be that terrible to have her in his bed, breathless and tired after lovemaking? The simple thought of it was enough to make him aroused when he should be sleeping. The idea was just too tempting, but somehow incomplete.

He twisted and turned in his bed trying to sleep but all to no avail. When he finally gave up, Jon raised from his bed to pour a glass of water. The room was dark, with only a fire lightened to warm up the place. It was there where he spotted her sitting by the fire place wrapped up in her thick grey robe with her hair falling down her back.

"What are you doing here?" He asked in a mix of surprise and strange satisfaction.

Arya turned her head to face him. Her eyes were like those of a cat, glowing in the dark in a way that made him shiver. She smiled lightly at him.

"I couldn't sleep and neither could you." She answered in a bored tone. She rose from her sit and walked toward him with her chin up. "Nothing that have never happened before. Why couldn't you sleep?"

"I was thinking about what you've said." He answered while observing the way she moved, with her robe slightly open and allowing him to have a glimpse of her chest.

"I wonder if there's anything I can do to help you make up your mind." She looked at him with undisturbed expression as if taken by a sudden serenity that was very unlike her, while her hands unlaced her robe, making it fall to her feet just to revel Arya entirely.

For a second he realized that he had been in that place before a long time ago, in some cave North of the Wall. Back than it was the fear of breaking his vows and siring bastards what have held him back until Ygritte made it quite clear that she was not used to be denied. Now there were no vows to be broken and there was nothing holding him back if not his fear of ruining a love that had always been holly to him. Maybe that was the real reason for him to think twice before jumping on her like he wanted to. Arya was to him a deity and his hands were far too dirty, and his soul too corrupt for him to ever consider touching her.

Jon had killed a man for believing he had married her by force. He have broken the seven hells lose when convinced that Arya was in danger. He had lied, manipulated and killed just to put a crown on her head and make her Queen in the North according with what Robb had wanted before his death. He had climbed all the steps just to reach her and stay by her side without demanding anything in exchange, although he wished to.

There's only so much a man can resist before giving into sin.

It was as if his mind had blackened out, as if his reason had vanished in the moment he set eyes on her. He grabbed her by the waist, using both of his arms to hold her and bring her face to a proper level. Arya was light like feathers in his arms, and her skin was smooth and warm against his when Jon claimed her mouth as he should have done when she first suggested him that such an alliance was a desirable one.

Her arms felt around his neck and Arya unlaced his waist with her shapely legs, holding to him tightly. Jon growled against her lips, feeling the sudden friction, while he blindly carried her to his bed.

Arya gave him a smirk when he finally laid her down on his bed, just to kiss every exposed inch of her ivory skin and give her love bites here and there, making sure that she would remember that night for several days to come. Jon took one of her nipples in his mouth, sucking at it hard and made her moan shamelessly. He couldn't care less if one of her maids would hear. He wanted the world to know that he was the man to conquer the Queen in the North.

His mouth traced the vale between her breasts and the path to her belly button. Arya let small sounds of approval escape every now and then, making Jon intimately satisfied. He kept going down, kissing her hip bone and then aiming for her sex.

He found it weird for a second the fact that she had no hair covering her intimate parts, unlike every woman he had ever bedded. Jon wondered for a second if that was a habit acquired during her years in Braavos and the constant talk with courtesans. He couldn't care less about who thought her, he was just glad for being able to see her entirely and kiss her between her legs and here her nearly scream his name out of pleasure.

Jon looked at her face and admired for a second how gorgeous she looked, with her hair spread all over his bed, and legs parted for him. Her face feverish and lips swollen, while she tried to breath normally again.

He unlaced his trousers and got rid of them as fast as he could, while Arya looked at him impatiently. Jon got back to his bed in a hurry, making Arya laugh lightly. There were few things he found as delightful as the sound of her laugh, or as arousing as the sight of her naked body waiting for his.

Arya claimed never allowed him to stay on top of her. She was far too eager to wait for him, so she decided to meet Jon half way, claiming his mouth with hunger and getting him laid where she had stood just a few seconds before. He looked at her with a bit of surprise and excitement, but never complained about how demanding she was being.

His young queen sat on his belly, making her ass rub his cock lightly, torturing him. It was her turn to repay him all of the attention paid. Arya kissed his chest, bitted his neck and sucked his nipples. Her nails left red marks on his skin, until she finally decided that she have had enough of teasing. Arya took his stiff cock on her hands and guided him until he was buried in her wet and tight cunt.

Arya clawed his chest while trying to find the perfect rhythm. Jon thought for a moment that she was really torturing him until she finally got it right. His hands landed on her hips, trying to dictate her movements somehow. Jon was dazzled by the sight of her breast moving according to the rhythm, while Arya looked wild. She claimed his mouth several times, making it almost impossible to keep the movement of her hips steady.

He rolled over her to get on top of her, taking Arya by surprise when his hips clashed against hers, reaching deep that the sounds she had contained escaped her mouth, sounds that would be repeated to exhaustion during the night.

It didn't take much for her body to give in to pleasure, shaking under his body while she called the gods and his name out of frenzy. She was in the middle of her own orgasm when he finally found release, filling her with his seed and collapsing on top of her just a few seconds after it.

Arya played languidly with the locks of his hair, while Jon rested his head on her breasts. The sound of her heartbeat was soothing somehow and he enjoyed it more than he could possibly admit without sounding like a hopeless fool.

"Was it enough for you to make up your mind?" She asked lazily.

"I'm not sure yet. I may need more of this before giving an answer." Jon answered calmly. His eyes scanned her face for a second and a question formed in his mouth. "Who was your first?" He asked, making Arya twist uncomfortably under him. There were no doubts for him that she wasn't as inexperienced as he tried to believe for so long. It made him wonder about it, and whether she had consent it or not. In fact, he liked experience and enthusiasm in a lover.

"Just some stupid boy that I knew almost a life time ago. Another bastard if you are really interested." She tried to sound careless about it. Maybe Arya wasn't really comfortable talking about it. He could hardly blame her for this, since the idea of her taking another man to bed suddenly became an uncomfortable thought to him.

"Did you love him?" Jon asked before rolling to his side of bed.

"I liked him enough." Arya sounded like she wasn't sure if she should talk about such things with him. "Does it matter to you?"

"I don't mind it. I guess that I'm just glad that you weren't forced or something as dreadful. I would never forgive myself for not being by your side to protect you, if that was the case." Jon took her hand on his and kissed every finger, making Arya muffle a laugh. "I can't help feeling jealous, though."

"What about yours? The wildling girl, was it?" Arya returned him the question and it was just fair. Arya had always known about this one girl on the other side of the Wall, but he had never told her that Ygritte had been his first woman.

"Yes. A tragic affair, I would say." Jon answered mindlessly. He had very little use to the memory of Ygritte, when everything had gone so bad for them. "That's ancient history. I'm more interested in knowing where we stand now. Am I the queen's lover?"

"I do admit that I like the sound of it." She laughed lightly. "But I guess I'll still need something more official than a lover. Why nobody ever talks about how much of a curse it is to wear a crown?"

"You are a great queen, though. One that I am proud to sever in every possible way."

"You don't really serve me, do you? Robb named you Warden and what a fine job you did crowing me instead of Rickon or Sansa. This arrangement suits both of us, I guess. A nice way to have power without having to usurp it to yourself."

"You were a better option. Rickon needs a lot of education, time and love in order to become a decent man. It's still a risky option, as much as Sansa and her second husband. You had always been a better judge of character and I knew that you would take the role naturally. I never wanted power for myself, though. I just wanted to make sure that the North would have a capable ruler."

"Liar." She said bluntly and in fact Jon was pretty sure that Arya had never bought such an excuse from him. She was far too clever and knew him far too well to believe that he had no ambitions at all. "You have always wanted this place, the Stark name, the titles, the family. You have imagined yourself in such a place countless times, but you were only a bastard back then. Would it be that difficult to be the queen's consort, when I can make this old ambition of yours a reality?" She finally asked.

"I won't have it if the only reason for you to ask me is politics. I'm not that cold and ambitious." He insisted stubbornly, making Arya growl in frustration.

"What else to you want from me?! My name, my connections, my trust and care, isn't it enough for you?" She said while getting out of bed gloriously naked. Jon simply observed her back for a while, considering what she said. What he wanted indeed? What could he possibly want from the woman he adored like the living image of his favorite god?

"I don't want to be an obligation to you." He sighted. "I don't want you in my bed for any reason other than your wish to be here. I don't want you to say that I am a convenient option. I still have some pride in me, despite of every vow I broke for you. I want you to choose me because you love me like a woman loves a man."

Arya turned her head to face him laid back on his bed. For a long second they said nothing at all, just stared at each other as if waiting for a fatality to happen. Surely she had never waited for such a condition and it made Jon uneasy for a second. Was she really that cold and practical to the point of never considering the feelings involved in such a relationship?

"That would be your reason to accept? You would have me because you love me and not because of what I can give you?" She questioned as if she had never considered that maybe…Maybe his feelings for her had always been far greater than she imagined and he had become too greedy to accept settling for half of her. He didn't want the queen and the crown, he wanted the woman and her heart.

"There's very little I wouldn't do for you and you know it. Maybe I forced myself to see you as a child for that long because it was easier to deal with you being too young for me to desire, than to face the fact that all the things that held me back before no longer exist. I can have you. I could have claimed you a long time ago, but I'm not heartless to the point of ignoring your desires on the matter. To love you had always been natural to me, just like breathing. Desiring you as a woman…It feels like a consequence that I had never considered, but is just as natural."

She took her robe and dressed it in silence, as if considering how to put the words that would break his heart together. During those long seconds Jon was afraid.

"Queens should never marry for love." She answered carefully. "Love is the death of duty and you were the one to teach me that." Arya took a deep breath and looked straightly at him with fierce determination. "I guess that I'm not a good queen."

She would never say it out loud, but for the moment that answer was enough. Jon could not help the prideful smile in his face. Arya turned her back at him again and this time Jon rose from bed to prevent her to give another step.

"You are not going anywhere tonight, Your Grace." He said while taking her in his arms and throwing her back in bed. She laughed out loud.

"What about my virtuous reputation? A queen staying out of her chambers a whole night. What people will say?" She teased him just before Jon could kiss her once more.

"Let them talk. I can take you to the godswood first thing in the morning and say the words so they won't have reason to question your virtue. I just want to make sure that this agreement between us is properly sealed."


End file.
